


What Would Barbara Do?

by boxxybrown506



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23617195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boxxybrown506/pseuds/boxxybrown506
Summary: Quinn and Rachel become much closer after the accident that stops the wedding. Despite their growing relationship Rachel is still with Finn but it won't end that way if Quinn has anything to say about. Will she get the courage to tell her how she feels or will she let the pressure of rejection stand in her way. When you're stuck in a jam there's really only question you can ask yourself: what would Barbara do?
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Comments: 2
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on my computer for awhile and I finally got the time and motivation to finish and post. Let me know what you think. All mistakes are my own and I don't own the rights to the characters. Also there is Brittany/Santana in here but it's not the main story. Same goes for Tina/Mike

Quinn sat on the foot of her bed in her underwear looking at the hideous pink dress and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over again.  _ No dammit! _ She had to keep her shit together if she was really going to do this,  **IF** being the operative word. Was she really ready to do this? Was she really going to bare her soul to her friends and potentially ruin Rachel’s wedding? The risk was huge. By standing there and telling everyone that for years she has been in love with Rachel Berry and that she wanted the annoying little star to be with her, she would be outing herself. Throw in that it would ruin the girl’s wedding and make it exponentially awkward for everyone no matter what would happen. The absolute terrifying outcome would be Rachel rejecting her. She would have to move to a different town or maybe beg Dalton Academy to admit her just to escape the horror of it all. BUT, if Rachel did want her and leave Finn at the altar … well it just might be worth it all. She could live with the looks and names thrown her way. She could live with the hateful stares and stress of being gay in a small town for one more year. She could live with the awkwardness of Glee and their revolving door of relationships because  _ she _ would be the one with Rachel, and most importantly she would be the one to keep her happy and be able to support her looming stardom. But why would she want to be with Quinn who had abused her and tormented her for years now? UGH this was torture! Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it to see Santana’s contact again.

**Satan** :  Get yo ass over here and stop this fucking joke. NOW!

Quinn sighed as she looked back at the pink dress. She could hear Rachel’s voice echoing in her ear, “just ask yourself: what would Barbara do?”

_ Fuck it _ , she stood and ripped the dress off the hanger and started yanking it on, “Barbara would do it.”

**FABERRY**

Rachel tried texting again as Finn fidgeted behind her. “Come on Rach, she’s not coming. We need to get this going or else we’re going to lose our spot.”

“No Finn,” she gripped the phone tighter as she hammered an increasingly angry text to the blonde, “she promised she would be here and I want us all to be together.”

She ignored Finn’s huff of annoyance and turned back to her worried pacing. Santana gave her a shrewd look, but Rachel tried to ignore her. She was all too apt at reading her and the situation. Where it was true that she wanted--needed Quinn to be here, she also needed things to slow down for one minute so she could get a grip. Maybe they were doing this for all the wrong reasons, maybe Quinn was right and in the end she’ll end up hating Finn. 

Oh God, she needed Quinn here. Things just seemed to make more sense when she was around. She jumped as the phone in her hand buzzed and answered before the ringtone could even set off. “Where are you?” The line was silent and Rachel started to feel a little worried that she pissed her off. “Quinn, are you there?” As she stepped away from all the talking she could just make out a soft wheeze and a whimper. “Oh my god, Quinn. Can you hear me?”

“Rachel … don’t-”

“Quinn what’s going on, where are you?”  
Santana watched the group, praying that this would end soon when she spotted the future Mrs. Finnocence looking desperate as she talked on the phone. _Looks like Yentl might be having second thoughts; good._ It was no lie that she had no love for the two of them but she really hated that Shrek-looking-man-boob, and let's be honest, Hobbit has way too much talent to waste it in Lima. Something was off, Santana could tell as she watched Rachel hunch over the phone. She grabbed Berry by the arm, “what’s going on?”

“Quinn stay with me, I’m coming to get you.” She turned to the group and grabbed the white clutch on the mauve armchair, “the wedding is on hold. Finn, tell our parents and everyone else. Santana you’re driving, Quinn’s in trouble.”

Without hesitation the cheerleader grabbed her stuff and made for the doors. Finn tried to stop Rachel as she hustled past him, “dammit wait! What the hell is going on? Don’t let Quinn ruin this for us.”

Santana was about to say something when Rachel sneered at the groom, “Quinn is in trouble. I’ll text you once we find her.” She turned away and jogged after Santana’s long-legged strides with the phone pressed to her ear once again, “Quinn honey, where are you? … ok we’re on our way now but I need you to stay awake.”

  
  


**FABERRY**

Quinn could hear the annoying beep of her alarm clock and tried to reach over to turn it off when she realized that there was a stabbing pain in her arm every time she moved. “Quinnie?” She moaned not wanting to open her eyes, “Quinnie, are you awake?” She mumbled something and her mother leaned closer.

“What day is it?”

Judy just smiled as tears of relief gathered in her eyes. She stroked the back of her hand, careful of the IV. “Monday sweetie. I’m so happy you are ok.”

Quinn didn’t hear any of this as everything started to sink in. It was Monday, 2 days since the wedding, which meant she was too late. She was effectively Finn’s now, and even if she could somehow talk Rachel into leaving him they would be no better than her fa--Russell and his whore. The very thought made her nauseous or maybe it was whatever they had given her. She had to get out of here, like right now. She couldn’t deal with this pain. A mountain of regret was squeezing her throat and it felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. She started reaching for the wires and tubes and yanked them out. She paid no attention to her mom trying to stop her and the nurses rushed towards the room. She whipped back the covers and tried to get off the bed. Unfortunately, her legs betrayed her and instead of jumping out of the hospital bed she tumbled face first and smacked hard onto the cold linoleum. She laid there in shock as a flurry of activity happened all around her. She looked ahead and saw the pink lips agap in shock and childish lacy socks that made Quinn want to cry. The only thing she was aware of as she stared out the doorway was that she couldn’t feel her legs and Rachel had seen it all. 

**FABERRY**

Quinn sat through MRIs, CT Scans, and x-rays and when the doctors started talking she only half-listened. She caught snippets of “concussion” and “pinched nerves” but all she could see was the look on Rachel’s face; a mixture of horror and pity.  _ Well, _ Quinn thought with a wry smirk,  _ this seems the perfect cap on the nightmare that was high school. _ She started on top of the food chain: head cheerleader, dating the quarterback, keeping all those losers in line. Lucy Caboosey was long gone, but then Glee happened and everything just went tits up: Finn started falling for Rachel -- _ who wouldn’t, _ Puck got her pregnant, Finn left her for Rachel --  _ again see previous,  _ she was knocked down from HBIC to a pregnant teenage outcast, she had to give up her daughter, then found out that the person she been desperately trying not to fall for was marrying a moron. Now look at her: bound to a wheelchair, well at least for the meantime.They kept saying physical therapy but at this point she was ready to give up.

Her mom squeezed her hand and gave her a watery smile, “we can do this together, Quinnie. You have all your friends to support you, so--”

“Thank you, Mom. I’m kinda tired.”

“Ok sweetie. I’ll let your friends know--”

Quinn grabbed her mom’s hand as she turned to walk away, “Wait, . . . could I maybe talk to them?”

She smiled softly and nodded, “sure honey. I’ll let them know.”

Quinn sighed and closed her eyes as her mom left the room. She might as well get this over with now. Not to mention she needed to see Rachel. Even as a small part of her said to leave it be, she knew she just couldn’t.

“Wake up Q, we don’t have time to sit by your bedside like some creepy vigil.”

She opened her eyes and was surprised to see everyone standing in the door. Rachel must have called everyone. Mercedes was the first to hug her. Santana claimed the chair next to the bed and Brittany sat on her lap after giving Quinn a wrinkled piece of construction paper that was shedding glitter . . . and cat hair. “Lord Tubbington says he’s sorry you have no legs.” Santana sighed, “we’ve already been over this, she has legs she just can’t feel them.”

The room went quiet real fast. You could feel the awkward energy in the air. Quinn just couldn’t stand it anymore. She felt it start in her chest and spread as it rose up her throat. Her sore back started to shake and she buried her face in her hands. They all stared in horror until Quinn threw her head back and laughter rang throughout the room infecting others to smile and chuckle, except for one tiny brunette who was barely holding back a sob. They all started talking about nothing and everything while Quinn watched Rachel focusing intently on the floor. Artie was telling her he would show her all the quickest routes and Tina said she had managed to get all the assignments for the next couple days so her gpa wouldn’t suffer while she was in here. She thanked them both and looked down at her twisting hands. “Could you guys give Rachel and I a moment?” She watched as Finn pulled the trembling girl closer.  _ Relax Frankenteen, I just want to console her because you're doing a terrible job.  _ Thankfully she pushed him away as everyone gave her a goodbye and Santana said she’d wait.

Rachel just stood there as the door closed. She was sniffling quietly for what felt like ages. When she finally looked up Quinn smiled, “how was the wedding?”

Rachel’s face crumbled and Quinn held out her arms. Rachel collapsed across her, and Quinn couldn’t find it in her to complain as she had Rachel’s citrusy scent all around her. She could hear the heart monitor make a noise and looked up to wave the nurse off. She started rubbing her back in soothing circles and Rachel tucked her head under Quinn’s chin.

“You were right—why are you always right? I was so mad that you weren’t there when I needed you to tell me what to do, and then when you called and we found you . . . Oh God it’s all my fault.”

Quinn hummed as she started drawing animals on Rachel’s back. “Would it make you feel better if I said it was? You know it wasn’t, but I’m not going to argue with you about it.”

Rachel started to whimper some more, and Quinn scratched lightly at the back of her neck in comfort. Rachel leaned up and Quinn wanted to coo with amused concern. Rachel’s watery brown eyes stared back, and a drippy nose trembled red. Rachel was the most pitiful she’s seen her in a long while. “I’m in such a mess, Quinn. What am I going to do?”

Quinn could only smirk, “what would Barbara do?”

As Rachel left, Santana came in behind her to collapse in the mauve, pleather recliner besides the bed. As Santana started flipping through the channels, Quinn starred blindly.

“San”

“What?”

“I’m going to walk again.”

Santana stopped and looked over at the bed, “You know, I actually believe you.”

“I’m going to walk again so I can take her away from here.”

Santana smiled as she turned back to the tv “well then. Sounds like Quinn is back.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't gathered Finn is going to be an idiot and an asshole in this fic so if you'd rather not see it then I'd suggest not reading this. This is my observation of the character from the show.

It took a couple days after that for the hospital to release Quinn and get setup with rehab. By that time her mom had everything all ready for Quinn at the apartment. She had gotten a shorter table and moved stuff around so that Quinn could maneuver easier. The thick carpet still made it harder to push her new (and extremely hated) wheelchair around, but Quinn made it work. It helped to fuel Quinn’s drive to get out of the chair. 

Rehab was tough. Probably as tough as Cheerios 2-a-day workouts but in the end they were paying off. In just a few short weeks she was racing Artie down the halls and could get herself in and out of the chair with minimal help. She had gotten quite a few pitiful glances but she ignored them. Many looked on with discomfort, wanting to help, but Quinn refused it for the most part. The only time she accepted help was when the person refused to listen to her protest, and for the most part that happened to be Rachel and very rarely Santana.

As Quinn wheeled her way towards the Senior hall she was enveloped in citrus. Quinn leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest. “Why do they have Ms. Pearson’s AP Lit class all the way in the Freshman hall? That just doesn’t make any sense.” Quinn leaned her head back as she watched the brunette’s scrunched face in thought.

“I would say it’s Figgins’ incompetence, but I’ve heard she requested that room because it has a view of the football field.”

“Hm, wonder what’s going on there?”

They stopped at Rachel’s locker to get her books and watch Rachel primp in her locker mirror. Quinn shamelessly ogled her in her high-waisted a-line skirt and tight red top. In a very un-Rachel Berry way she had forgone the colored tights and lacy Bobby-socks, and instead wore simple flats. Quinn was distracted as Rachel flipped back her hair to reveal her long smooth neck.  _ Was it really as smooth as it looked? Did she get those goosebumps when she was kissed under her ear like Quinn? _ Her musings were brought to an abrupt halt when Finn’s very large head was right where Quinn wanted to be. She fought to keep the white hot jealousy at bay— _ save it for PT. _

“So Rach, I was thinking we could go over to my house tonight. My mom and Burt are going to that new Chinese place, and Kurt is taking some of the Glee club to the movies to see some musical, Chardonnay or something.”

_ Dumbass _

“It’s Cabaret sweetie, Cabaret. And sorry but I already promised Quinn I’d hang out with her tonight, you know, like a girl’s night. Sorry.”

He looked over at Quinn with a nod. She gave him a look that said I’m sorry.  _ I’m not sorry. _ He started talking low but Quinn could still hear him unfortunately.

“But Rach, this is the first time in awhile that the house is completely empty, and it’s been a month since we—“

“Finn! I am sorry but I had already made plans. You should have said something when I asked you this morning.”

“Yeah, but you said something about vegan checks. . .”

Both Quinn and Rachel looked at him with unabashed incredulity. It was Rachel that found her voice, “quiche, Finn, what the hell is a— you know what never mind. It doesn’t matter, I already have plans. We have to go or we’ll be late for class.”

Rachel started pushing quinn away and Quinn smiled as she fingered Rachel’s spiral notebook. “So, we have plans?”

“I’m sorry I just . . . Things have been so tense between us, and I knew he would have just wanted to do . . . That. . . I’m just not in the mood.”

“No, I get it. It’s ok; what do you want to do?”

That night she found herself snuggling on the couch with a bowl of popcorn resting in her lap. She laid out on the chaise section because it was easier to get on and off from there. Rachel was spread out on the connected sofa leaning onto the pillows that surrounded the both of them. The light from the tv was the only thing lighting up the two. Rachel reached over as Quinn started laughing, “remind me again why we’re watching this?”

Quinn smiled as Napoleon Dynamite yelled at the llama, “Because the disc is stuck in the dvd player. And it’s awesome.”

“Ok, Finn.”

“Ew! Hey at least I know it’s Cabaret, Liza Minnelli’s finest performance, AND Hayseed offers some of the best vegan dishes in the tri-county area. At least that’s what The Cryer said.”

Rachel chuckled as she took another handful of popcorn, “it’s like he doesn’t even listen. You know before when we started dating I thought he was the greatest boyfriend in the world. He would bring me all these gifts, and he would hold my hand whenever he drove. He would always say how great I was--not to mention we made out like nonstop.” She caught the tail end of Quinn’s grimace. “Sorry, but do have a point.”

“You do?” Quinn ducked as popcorn kernals bombarded her face.

“Yes. You know, when I look back at all the things that made me feel loved I also remember all the times I didn’t. He would hold my hand in the car and as soon as that rusted truck of his crossed over school property he’d drop it so fast. When he said I had good ideas for Glee Club he would never speak up when everyone would shoot me down. It just makes me wonder if the way he loves me is just . . .”

“Vanity? Selfishness?” Quinn had seen it from the beginning. When they had first started dating she had seen how Rachel loudly and boldly confessed her feelings for Finn. The entire school closed ranks quickly and he dumped Rachel so fast it took Quinn by surprise. Then Rachel started dating Jesse St. Jackass and Finn couldn’t stop huffing like a child over a discarded toy.

Quinn knew the type of boyfriend he was, they had dated after all. For some reason she thought he might have been different for Rachel, but it seemed he wasn’t. Quinn picked at one of her new callouses as Napoleon and Kip traded slaps. “Rachel, I’m going to be completely honest with you--bridal shop honest, ok? You are an incredibly talented woman with the drive and willpower to match. You are one of the strongest people I know. To be as confident as you are after enduring all the hell I put you through speaks of that. Because of all of that, you deserve someone who will treat you like the star you are. Someone who will stand by you and let you shine. Someone who is strong enough to breathe in the thin atmosphere that is your impending stardom.”  _ Someone like me. _ “Someone worthy.”

Quinn started to feel her heart speed up and her throat close-- _ what did she do? _ Finally Rachel met her eyes biting her perfectly plump lip, “you don’t think Finn is strong enough.”

Quinn wanted to dive deep into the fantasies of pulling that lip free so she could taste them herself but the deep brown eyes pulled her out. “Rachel, it’s not about what I think at this point.It’s about how you feel. No one can make this decision but you.” She gave Rachel the bowl and shifted all the blankets off her lap, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to use my sweet “Physical Therapy Skills” to go to the bathroom.” As Quinn maneuvered her way into the chair she missed the intense stare following her.

FABERRY

After that night, McKinley High watched the two lovebirds give the most dazzling show the school had ever seen for weeks. Their relationship rivaled that of Liz and Dick for most tumultuous. One minute they were all gooey trying to pick out a new date for the wedding, and the next they couldn’t stand each other going so far as to hurl insults down the hallways. The past week seemed to be an upswing for the couple, which most likely had to do with Senior Skip Day putting everyone in a good mood. Several ideas were thrown around but everyone seemed to be excited for Six Flags. Everyone but Quinn that was. She really wasn’t all that excited to go to a theme park, and watch all her friends running around like idiots, and she definitely wasn’t going to watch Finn and Rachel fawn over each other for an entire day. Artie was a saving grace by inviting her to try something a little different. She was going to spend the alone time working on school work but she was already up-to-date from the time she was in the hospital. He took her to “the ramp”--the steepest ramp in Lima and said that if she was going to get better then she would have to climb the ramp. It was harder than it looked. PT had already toned her shoulders and arms, and her core had never been stronger.  _ I have abs for Christ sake.  _ Cheerios 2-A-Days had kept her toned and slim--  _ needed to fit that uniform _ \--but nothing like this. All those were grueling and exhausting but none of them ever felt like this. The moment she reached the top she felt like she just won a gold medal. She felt like she could stand up and walk but she knew she wasn’t quite ready for that.

To celebrate, Artie took her to the skate park. For the most part Quinn watched as everyone enjoyed their day. It grounded her to see everyone having a good time despite their disability. The breeze blew past her bringing a distinctive citrusy scent. Cool, small hands covered her eyes, “guess who?”

“Jacob Ben-Israel?”

Rachel scoffed as she lowered her hands to Quinn’s shoulders. “So this is where you’ve been hiding out this past week.”

“Ha, hardly. Artie brought me here to celebrate. It’s actually really fun.”

“Hm, well it looks like it.”

Rachel’s hands lingered on her shoulders. “No offense, but what are you doing here? I would have thought you would be riding rides till sundown with everyone else.”

Rachel squeezed her overworked traps, “I was getting nauseous so I texted Artie. He said you were here.” Rachel started digging deeper into her traps and moved up along Quinn’s neck while they watched 2 guys race each other over the dips and tall curves.

Quinn felt like melting into goo in Rachel’s hands. “Are you telling me that you, Rachel Barbara Berry, got nauseous at a theme park? The same Rachel who rode the scrambler 16 times at the school carnival after gorging herself on ice cream and fried elephant ears?” Quinn was taken aback when Rachel leaned down and pulled the blonde back into a tight hug. Her check pressed warmly against hers, the move was intimate and so fucking perfect.

“How do you do that, Quinn? How can you remember something like that down to the very last detail and yet . . .”

Quinn squeezed Rachel’s arms, “you’re worth remembering. Not to mention you’re kinda hard to ignore.” They watched a bit more just content to be close. The most shocking part of this moment was that Quinn wasn’t worried about someone seeing. She didn’t care if word got back to her parent’s church, or if every single student at McKinley filled her locker with pictures of Ellen or threw slushies. She didn’t care about anyone except for the person hanging around her neck, and she truly has never been happier. “You know, I’m in the mood for a sweet potato quiche.”

Rachel laughed as she straightened, “they also have chocolate peanut butter malts--completely non-vegan.”

“What?! Artie, let's roll! We’re going to Hayseed, and I’m buying.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter but this was the best way to split up in between. This is the setup for the big reveal.

Prom was 2 weeks away and Quin was on a mission. She had finally stood all by herself and took a couple steps, well shuffle very slowly. Her physical therapist, Chris, told her not to push, but now that she was so close how could she back off now. She also took heart that Rachel was spending more and more time with the blonde, and the new physical dimension of their relationship was awesome. Whenever Finn wasn’t vying for attention, Rachel’s body seemed to find her--leaning on her whenever they hung out to even snuggling on the couch when they watched tv. Every once in a while she would reach for Quinn’s hand just to play with her fingers or trace the newly formed calluses on her palm.

She wasn’t the only one to notice either. They were getting plenty of side glances from some of their fellow gleeks, but nobody said anything to her. Well, except for when Puck noticed Rachel’s lingering touch after practice and gave her a couple eyebrow raises and a thumbs-up. She had an idea of how she wanted to make her move, but she was going to need some help.

Mr. Shue dismissed them for the night and everyone left for the parking lot. As a few slipped away to the bleachers. Kurt and Mercedes looked around at their sketchy surroundings as Tina, Mike and Artie talked about this week’s performances. Finally, Brittany and Santana came up to the group. Mercedes spotted them first and didn’t hesitate, “ok, so what was so urgent you guys had to meet us here?”

“Cool it Aretha, we have something we need to discuss in non Glee territory.”

Kurt was instantly suspicious, “Is this a Joke? Why would we have anything to discuss with you outside of Glee?”

“No Porcelain, great acoustics means easier ways to hear. Listen, we’ve all noticed the rainbows flying around the choir room right?”

Kurt and Mercedes looked at each other having a silent conversation but ultimately coming to some decision. Meanwhile Mike crossed his arms in confusion, “what are you talking about?”

Santana huffed in annoyance. Thankfully, Kurt stepped in amused at oblivious hetero. “You haven’t noticed the small touches. Those long, lingering looks. I will admit there has always been something between those two--personally I always thought it was pure blind hatred, but I guess there’s a thin line between love and hate.”

Mike thought hard but he didn’t get it. “I’m not blind. I noticed the closeness between Rachel and Quinn but I figured it was because of the accident. Rachel’s engaged to Finn and she’s always loved him. Also aren’t they straight?”

Kurt raised his eyebrow in challenge.

Artie reached for his phone and started going through his pictures, “I wasn’t going to say anything but I think it might help. While you guys were at Six Flags Quinn, Rachel, and I went to Hayseed.” He passed it to the others. They were pictures of all three of them: scrunched together in a corner booth, making funny faces, and another with Quinn balancing a spoon expertly on her nose. “At first I thought they were just being girls, ya know, touchy feely, but something seemed different.”

They were silently sizing each other up. Something was definitely going on here. Kurt was the one to break the silence, “so what’s the plan?”

All eyes swung to the two cheerleaders who called the impromptu meeting. Brittany bounced in excitement but Santana placed a hand on her shoulder, “before we start talking gameplan I want to hear from Asian Fusion. I know Finn is your boy. If you clue him in on this, there’s no point.”

Mike reached up to the bleachers and then looked over to Tina. She smiled softly knowing the moral quandary he was in. He tried to do the right thing, most of the time. He counted himself reliable and a loyal friend but he knew what had to be done. “I think it sucks, but Quinn was right. They shouldn’t be getting married so young, and if there really is something between Quinn and Rachel then they really shouldn't be going through with it. I’m in.” 

Santana smiled as Brittany started bouncing. She almost tackled Santana, “Operation Unicorn Kisses is a go!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PROM TIME!! Now, I know this prom is very cannon divergent from the show, but I wanted the big reveal to be a certain way and this was the only way I saw it going. Also this is the last chapter so thank you for reading. Not sure if I'll follow this up with small snapshots but we'll see how this goes.

Prom finally arrived and Santana stood off to the side of the gym. Figgins in true Figgins fashion refused to pay for a venue so they had to make due. Santana couldn’t find the energy to tear the cheapskate a new one when she had an operation to run. As soon as she got this over with the sooner she could get to doing all the things prom night was promised to be--dancing her ass off with her friends, drinking cheap booze at the hotel room her dad got her, and spending the night with her very beautiful, very flexible girlfriend. Everyone was spread out ready for Quinn’s big moment. She looked over at the girl who was lost in thought. She didn’t know why she was helping her so much. They weren’t really friends. They had always fought for the top and wouldn’t have hesitated to kick the other down when giving the chance. It was more of a keep your enemies closer situation, yet when thought about everything she went through with Brittany and her sexuality Quinn never backed away. She didn’t join in on the harassment or slushie facials, and in the case of Megan Burkley she made sure the girl never opened her locker without a sense of trepidation thanks to a little help from the AP Biology’s dissection project. When they lost to Vocal Adrenaline and Jesse St. Douchebag, Quinn finally told Santana what was going on. Santana knew what she was going through, and since she was finally free to be with Brittany without shame or worry she wanted the same for Quinn. There was also the added bonus of ruining Finnocence’s ridiculous dreams with Rachel. Payback was so sweet and really Mighty Mouse had a better chance than most to get out of this town. Frankenteen was just going to drag her down.

Kesha started playing and her boo danced up to her, “hey San, dance with me.”

“I can’t. Operation Unicorn Kisses is still in effect. Go dance with Sugar and I’ll dance with you later.”

She stopped as she gave San that sexy smile, “you’re hot when you’re in secret agent mode.” Brittany popped her hip and winked, “I’ll see you out there later, babe.” Santana just smiled,  _ you bet your cute little ass. _

Quinn was feeling sick again. This was it. If she didn’t do this tonight then she never would. Santana swore everything would be in place and ready. Santana looked more nervous than Quinn, which didn’t give her great confidence. She went over what she was going to say. No matter what happens tonight she was going to lay it all out.She went over what she was going to say to try and settle her nerves when Finn and Rachel strolled in. All the oxygen was sucked out of the room. She was gorgeous in peach. The color seemed to make her skin glow and the sparkle in the fabric made her eyes twinkle. As they walked in she didn’t miss the death grip Finn had on Rachel’s hand. There was a strained look in Rachel’s eyes, but it quickly melted when they collided with Quinn’s hazel eyes. In that moment nothing else in the room seemed to exist. Rachel started to pull towards Quinn but Finn pulled her closer towards a group of football players and their girlfriends. Rachel followed with a small wave and sweet smile. Quinn felt the steel settle in her spine. The words kept rolling through her mind, firming her resolve, “Barbara would do it.”

After what seemed like forever--but probably only 40 minutes--of talking with the football team, Quinn felt like it as now or never. She looked over at Santana and nodded. Like a perfectly choreographed number everyone scurried to their places. Mike and Tina joined the group of jocks and while Mike put his arm around Finn’s shoulder Tina pulled Rachel onto the dance floor where Mercedes, Kurt, and now Blaine were dancing. Rachel was laughing and dancing when her eyes started to wonder around the room. She found Quinn by the doors and tried to wave her over. Quinn just smiled coyly and with the crook of her finger called Rachel over. Rachel shot a look over at Finn to see he was still distracted. With a smile she made her way over to Quinn with an indulgent smile. Before she could say anything Quinn asked, “do you want to see something amazing?”

Rachel feigned consideration, “I guess that depends on your definition of ‘amazing.’”

Quinn pushed off through the doors, “you're going to like it.”

Santana watched as they left and snapped at Artie. He wheeled up to the DJ with swagger. “I’m trying to get this honey primed. Can you help me out?” He held his hand up to pound his fist with the skeptical 32 year old DJ, but when he felt the kid pass him a bill he looked down to see a twenty.  _ Cocky little shit. _ “What’cha groove, slick?”

Quinn wheeled off the elevator towards the propped open door of the Cheerios practice space. The lights were off and the shutters were closed. Rachel leaned into the room, “I don’t think we should be up here.”

Quinn scoffed as she wheeled farther into the room and stopped, “come stand right here.”

Rachel chewed her lip, and for a minute Quinn thought she wouldn’t do it.When Rachel finally stood in the middle of the room Quinn retracted the shutters. They were noisy but the bass of the Jason Derulo song helped mask it. As the music became clearer lights filtered in and just as she hoped twinkling lights filled the room from the mirrored disco ball. In the gym the lights were barely noticeable, but up here they danced.

Rachel gasped as she watched the tiny stars move across the room. “Wow, this is beautiful.”

“Yeah, it’s nice but that’s not what I came here to show you.”

Rachel blinked as Quinn motioned her over to the parallel bars. She had her stand about halfway across the walkway. Quinn wheeled to the other end and locked the wheels and took off her shoes that were merely decorative. Her hands shook and started to sweat. She started to pray that wouldn’t fall flat on her face because that would kill the mood. She ignored Rachel’s worried questions as she reached up for the handles. The sound of Alphaville drifted through the room right as she thrust her hips forward and stood. Quinn sighed with relief as she felt the mat under her bare feet instead of her face. She looked up to see Rachel’s shocked face. Her hands were suspended helplessly as Quinn pushed each foot forward till she reached Rachel. Tears were welling up in her eyes threatening to spill over and her hands covered the lower half of her face.

“Rachel Berry, will you dance with me?” To her horror Rachel started to weep. “It’s ok if you don’t want to, I just--” Rachel reached up and clung to Quinn.

Thanks to Rachel’s high heels it wasn’t a long reach. When they started to sway Quinn rested her chin by Rachel’s ear. She smiled as she whispered, “I like your sleeves.”

Rachel stopped and pulled back. With a straight face she quoted back, “thanks, I made them myself.” They just smiled at each other utterly content in this shared moment.  _ It’s now or never.  _ Quinn cleared her throat as the song changed, but Rachel spoke before she could say anything, “thank you for sharing this with me. You certainly make things memorable. I’m so happy you can walk again. These past months have been so horrible.”

_ Oh God, what does that mean?  _ Quinn stumbled back and fell into the chair. Quinn’s nerves were getting the best of her, and when she looked up at Rachel her throat seized up.  _ You’re blowing it.  _

Rachel reached down and helped Quinn rearrange her dress. Quinn squeezed her eyes shut and just let go. “You know when I first got into this chair I absolutely hated it.”

“Quinn, I’m so sorry--”

“Rachel stop! Let me say this so I can finally get this out.” Rachel blinked owlishly at the outburst but stayed silent as Quinn continued. “I hated this chair so much, but I was so grateful at the same time because ultimately it’s the reason you’re with me right now. If I wasn’t in this chair you would have married Finn. I was late because I didn’t want to watch you marry him. I fought with myself because I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t watch you marry him when. . . it took all my resolve to finally put on that truly hideous dress and tell you how I felt and then I would let the chips fall.”

“Quinn, what are you saying?”

Quinn’s hands shook so she gripped the wheels. “I-I-I love you. I’m in love with you. I think I’ve been in love with you for a long time, at least it feels that way. And you don’t have to feel the same. I just wanted you to know you don’t have to --” her throat closed up as she saw the look on Rachel’s face. It was the same look she had in the hospital. That look of horror and pity was gutting. She thought she could take it but the searing pain said otherwise. “I just thought you should know.” Without thinking she pulled the chair in reverse and took off for the elevator. She didn’t look back as she made her way outside. Oh God what did she do? Why was she so fucking stupid? She should have known this would end up like this. It was karma for all the terrible things she did. She wasn’t supposed to be happy here. She called her mom and rolled away from the school with tears streaming down her face.

  
  


FABERRY

It had been four days of nonstop texts and calls. She had turned it off after the first call from Santana trying to figure out what happened. She was able to get through retelling the whole ordeal before she broke down sobbing. The heartache was indescribable. She thought she was immune to rejection, but she just felt the searing pain of being rejected by her father all over again. The only other pain that was more agonizing was when she gave up Beth for a second time. When she knew she would never see her child again was the only thing worse than this. What was the point anymore? 

One morning, she wasn’t sure what day it was anymore, Santana and Mercedes showed up. Her mom happily let them in, Santana leaned on the door frame while Mercedes sat next to her on the bed. “Quinn, you're going to school with us.”

“I don’t ever want to go back. The school is too small. Everywhere I go she’s there.”

Santana spoke up, “so you want to flunk out and be stranded in Lima forever?”

Quinn frowned. This was a heart-wrenching dilemma: be surrounded by Rachel for the rest of her life or for the most excruciating time? Mercedes put her hand on Quinn's back, “just come to school today and we won’t even ask you to change, although you probably should.”

Tears started to gather in Quinn’s eyes as she looked up, “it’s too hard.”

“I know, but you have to. Plus if you don’t get up I’ll have Santana do it for you.”

Quinn sighed as the tears fell down the sides of her face and into her hair and ear. “Fine, but I’m taking a shower. No way am I going in there looking like this.”

Santana rolled her eyes as Mercedes laughed, “that’s right, show her what she’s missing.”

Quinn pulled a bit on her yellow sweater as Santana pushed her up to school. She always liked this dress but Quinn didn’t know why she wore such a sunny color on a day like today.  _ Rachel’s bright smile as she fingered the corner of the sweater sweetly telling her how much the color brought out the gold in her hazel eyes.  _ No dammit! She took a shaky breath and started to trace a back flower when she noticed they were heading for the auditorium and not AP Physics. “What the HELL is going on?”

“Well Quinn, this is what happens when you don’t answer your phone. More importantly this is what happens when  _ I  _ answer my phone when I shouldn’t.”

They parked her in the front row and walked up on stage. Baffled, Quinn watched as the Projector started filling up the screen and a song filled the auditorium. Rachel’s voice started the lyrics and Quinn reached for the wheels in fear, but strong hands stopped her. She looked back to see Puck smiling at her and pointed back to the stage. Rachel was singing her heart out as Brittany and Mike danced. Mercedes and Santana sang back up but Quinn could hear none of it. Her eyes were glued to the small diva pouring her heart out. It made her heart ache with sadness and pride. As Rachel held the last note and she couldn’t stand it. Quinn looked for the exit when Rachel jumped down and stood in front of Quinn with her hands twisting in anxiety. Quinn gulped in pain, “what was that?”

Rachel bit her lip and avoided Quinn’s eyes, “well, you wouldn’t answer your phone so I thought this was appropriate.”

“I-I don’t get it.”

“For someone who knows me backwards and forwards you can be pretty obtuse. Quinn, you told me--”

“NO! Please let's just pretend that didn’t happen okay, and go back to being sort-of-friends.”

Quinn turned to leave but Rachel ran in front of her to stop her. She put both hands on the breaks and kept them there to make sure Quinn could move. She pushed her face right into Quinn’s space so that their noses barely touched. “No, I refuse to ignore one of the best nights of my night. You set up some elaborate moment to finally tell me you can walk now, and that, oh yes, you LOVE ME AND THEN BOLT!! You refuse to answer my texts and calls to tell you that I’ve always loved you.”

Quinn choked on her tears as she listened to Rachel. “You what?”

Rachel smiled softly, “I love you; I’ve always loved you. I thought you only liked boys so I just tried to move on, but I’ve always loved you.”

Rachel’s eyes were so filled with love that Quinn couldn’t take it. Her lips trembled and no words seemed to exist. Rachel’s small, cool hands held her face and swiped away the tears. Before she could say anything Rachel’s soft lips against Quinn’s. It was pure fireworks in her pulse and down her sore spine. She couldn’t hear the hooting and whistling and instead pulled Rachel onto her lap and buried her face in Rachel’s neck. “Is this real?”

Rachel laughed as she held Quinn closer, “god I hope so.”

It was much later as Rachel and Quinn sat together on the train heading east, Rachel to New York and Quinn to New Haven, that Quinn asked how she got the courage to tell her how she felt. Rachel squeezed Quinn’s hands and leaned up to kiss her on the check, “I asked myself what would Barbara do?”


End file.
